The annual elite tournament at Dortmund in Germany has been an incredibly successful hunting ground for ten-time winner Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. However, the 2012 edition held last month saw Kramnik relegated to third place behind two of the top talents of the next generation. The world's highest ranked junior player, Fabiano Caruana (18) of Italy and Sergei Karjarkin (22) of Russia finished tied for first place on 6/9, though Caruana took out the title on countback of the most wins. Kramnik finished in a four-way tie just behind them on 5½ points in the ten player round-robin.
Today's game was the critical win by Caruana, playing White, over Kramnik to take the lead in the eighth round.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 ---
Veering away from the more critical 4 0-0 line of the Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence, which Kramnik established as viable for Black. 4.--- Bc5 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 0-0 7.Nbd2 Ne7 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 Bb6 10.b3!? ---
A new move – the dark-squared bishop will bolster the centre from b2. 10.--- d5 11.e5 Ne4 12.Bd3 Bf5 13.Qe2 Nc6 14.Bb2 Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Be4 16.Be2 f6 17.b4! ---
Having secured the centre White proceeds to harass the well-placed knight. 17.--- fxe5 18.dxe5 Kh8 19.b5 Ne7 20.Ng5 Ng6!
Offering the exchange maintains the balance. Here 21 Ne6? Qh4 22 Nxf8 Rxf8 leads to a winning attack for Black (e.g. 23 Bd3 Bxg2! 24 Kxg2 Qg4+ 25 Kh1 Qf3+ 26 Kg1 Nf4 etc.) 21.g3! Qe7 22.e6 Rf5 23.Nxe4! ---
Choosing the bishop pair and advanced passed pawn rather than take his chances with Black's attack after 23 Nf7+ Rxf7 24 exf7 Qxf7. The move involves deep calculation. 23.--- dxe4 24.Qd7 Raf8 25.Qxe7 Nxe7 26.Ba3 Re8
The seemingly obvious 26 ... Rxf2? loses after 27 Kh1 Re8 28 Rxf2 Bxf2 29 Rf1 e3 30 Rd1 g6 31 Rd7 Nf5 32 g4 Nd6 33 e7 Kg7 34 b6! axb6 35 Rxc7 with 36 Bb5 to follow. The power of the bishop pair now makes itself felt. 27.Rad1 h5 28.Rd7 Nd5 29.Rf7 Nf6 30.Bc4 Bc5 31.Bb2 Re7 32.Bd4! Bd6 33.Re1 b6 34.Rf8+ Kh7 35.Rxe4 Rxf2 36.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 37.Kg2 Nc5 38.Ra8 Nxe6?
Eliminating the passed pawn fatally exposes the black king to a queenless mating attack. Instead 38...Kg6! 39 Bxc5 (39 Rxa7 Nxe6 is safe now) Bxc5 40 Rxa7 Kf5 provides practical chances to draw due to the bishops of opposite colour. 39.Bd3+! Kh6 40.h4 ---
The threat of 41 Rh8# wins material, though even better was 40 Be3+! g5 41 Rg8 when the threat of Rg6+ wins at least a piece e.g 41...h4 42 g4 Nf4+ 43 Bxf4 gxf4 44 Rg6+ Kh7 45 Rxd6+. 40.--- g6 41.Rh8+ Rh7 42.Rg8! Rg7
Forced as 42...Nf8? 43 Be3+ mates in three. 43.Bxg7+ Kh7 44.Re8 Nxg7 45.Re3 Kh6
Despite his minimal material deficit, Black is losing because the remaining pieces prevent him from adequately defending the weak kingside pawns stuck on light squares. 46.a4 Kh7 47.Kh3 Kh6 48.Bc2 Kh7
Neither 48...g5 shifting the problem to the h5 pawn, nor 48...Nf5 49 Bxf5 gxf5 50 Re8 f4 51 g4! when the rook will win the battle of the passed pawns, offers any hope. 49.g4 hxg4+ 50.Kxg4 Kh6 51.Re2 Bb4 52.Re5 Nh5? 53.Re6 Resigns
Top Junior wins Dortmund
Problem: White to play and mate in 4.
The annual elite tournament at Dortmund in Germany has been an incredibly successful hunting ground for ten-time winner Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. However, the 2012 edition held last month saw Kramnik relegated to third place behind two of the top talents of the next generation. The world's highest ranked junior player, Fabiano Caruana (18) of Italy and Sergei Karjarkin (22) of Russia finished tied for first place on 6/9, though Caruana took out the title on countback of the most wins. Kramnik finished in a four-way tie just behind them on 5½ points in the ten player round-robin.
Today's game was the critical win by Caruana, playing White, over Kramnik to take the lead in the eighth round.
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 Nf6
4.d3 ---
Veering away from the more critical 4 0-0 line of the Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence, which Kramnik established as viable for Black.
4.--- Bc5
5.0-0 d6
6.c3 0-0
7.Nbd2 Ne7
8.d4 exd4
9.cxd4 Bb6
10.b3!? ---
A new move – the dark-squared bishop will bolster the centre from b2.
10.--- d5
11.e5 Ne4
12.Bd3 Bf5
13.Qe2 Nc6
14.Bb2 Nxd2
15.Qxd2 Be4
16.Be2 f6
17.b4! ---
Having secured the centre White proceeds to harass the well-placed knight.
17.--- fxe5
18.dxe5 Kh8
19.b5 Ne7
20.Ng5 Ng6!
Offering the exchange maintains the balance. Here 21 Ne6? Qh4 22 Nxf8 Rxf8 leads to a winning attack for Black (e.g. 23 Bd3 Bxg2! 24 Kxg2 Qg4+ 25 Kh1 Qf3+ 26 Kg1 Nf4 etc.)
21.g3! Qe7
22.e6 Rf5
23.Nxe4! ---
Choosing the bishop pair and advanced passed pawn rather than take his chances with Black's attack after 23 Nf7+ Rxf7 24 exf7 Qxf7. The move involves deep calculation.
23.--- dxe4
24.Qd7 Raf8
25.Qxe7 Nxe7
26.Ba3 Re8
The seemingly obvious 26 ... Rxf2? loses after 27 Kh1 Re8 28 Rxf2 Bxf2 29 Rf1 e3 30 Rd1 g6 31 Rd7 Nf5 32 g4 Nd6 33 e7 Kg7 34 b6! axb6 35 Rxc7 with 36 Bb5 to follow. The power of the bishop pair now makes itself felt.
27.Rad1 h5
28.Rd7 Nd5
29.Rf7 Nf6
30.Bc4 Bc5
31.Bb2 Re7
32.Bd4! Bd6
33.Re1 b6
34.Rf8+ Kh7
35.Rxe4 Rxf2
36.Kxf2 Nxe4+
37.Kg2 Nc5
38.Ra8 Nxe6?
Eliminating the passed pawn fatally exposes the black king to a queenless mating attack. Instead 38...Kg6! 39 Bxc5 (39 Rxa7 Nxe6 is safe now) Bxc5 40 Rxa7 Kf5 provides practical chances to draw due to the bishops of opposite colour.
39.Bd3+! Kh6
40.h4 ---
The threat of 41 Rh8# wins material, though even better was 40 Be3+! g5 41 Rg8 when the threat of Rg6+ wins at least a piece e.g 41...h4 42 g4 Nf4+ 43 Bxf4 gxf4 44 Rg6+ Kh7 45 Rxd6+.
40.--- g6
41.Rh8+ Rh7
42.Rg8! Rg7
Forced as 42...Nf8? 43 Be3+ mates in three.
43.Bxg7+ Kh7
44.Re8 Nxg7
45.Re3 Kh6
Despite his minimal material deficit, Black is losing because the remaining pieces prevent him from adequately defending the weak kingside pawns stuck on light squares.
46.a4 Kh7
47.Kh3 Kh6
48.Bc2 Kh7
Neither 48...g5 shifting the problem to the h5 pawn, nor 48...Nf5 49 Bxf5 gxf5 50 Re8 f4 51 g4! when the rook will win the battle of the passed pawns, offers any hope.
49.g4 hxg4+
50.Kxg4 Kh6
51.Re2 Bb4
52.Re5 Nh5?
53.Re6 Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1 Qa7+ Kd6 2 Bf4+ e5 3 Qxb6+ Kd7 4 Qc6#.